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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BISHKEK 000502
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/29/2016
TAGS: PGOVPRELKCRMKCOREAIDECONKG
SUBJECT: VISIT OF SCA ASSISTANT SECRETARY BOUCHER TO BISHKEK
REF: BISHKEK 399
Classified By: Ambassador Marie L. Yovanovitch, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)
¶1. (C) During a series of meetings on April 11, SCA
Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher urged the Kyrgyz
Government to move forward on constitutional reform and said
that the U.S. is eager to begin the next round of
negotiations on Manas Coalition Airbase. He also expressed
concern over the April 9 election of organized crime figure
Ryspek Akmatbayev to Parliament. A/S Boucher pushed the
Kyrgyz to support Guatemala's candidacy for the UN Security
Council and the Foreign Minister pledged Kyrgyzstan's
support. During his meeting with President Bakiyev,
President Bakiyev urged the U.S. to move faster to complete
talks negotiations over Manas Airbase. Bakiyev downplayed
concerns over rising crime and corruption, and said that the
process of constitutional reform is moving forward. During
his separate meeting with A/S Boucher, Prime Minister Kulov
admitted that he and President Bakiyev do not agree on many
aspects of constitutional reform, but added that they both
agree on the need for a new constitution that enshrines real
checks and balances. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (U) While in Bishkek A/S Boucher met with President
Bakiyev, Prime Minister Kulov, Foreign Minister Jekshenkulov,
civil society members, key opposition leaders, and students
from the American University of Central Asia. He also
provided two interviews with local TV/radio outlets -- one
translated into Russian and one in Kyrgyz.
MANAS AIRBASE: BAKIYEV URGES U.S. TO GET MOVING
--------------------------------------------- --
¶3. (C) President Bakiyev grew animated when raising the
negotiations over new terms for the Coalition Airbase at
Manas. Repeating talking points made to Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Defense MacDougall (reftel), Bakiyev noted that
SIPDIS
in 2001, while he was Prime Minister, Kyrgyzstan demonstrated
its goodwill in providing land for the airbase. While no one
was thinking of money following the tragedy of 9/11, the base
has operated since on a "nearly free basis" and has provided
few economic benefits to the country. Bakiyev complained
that although numerous teams of U.S. experts have visited,
the Kyrgyz Government has yet to receive a clear response in
ten months despite providing detailed answers to USG
questions. Bakiyev said that while he understands
bureaucracies everywhere move slowly, he perceived a lack of
will on the part of the U.S. to move quickly. A/S Boucher
assured Bakiyev that the U.S. hopes to send negotiator Bob
Loftis in June, if not earlier, and another expert group
would be coming to Kyrgyzstan soon. The A/S confirmed that
the airbase remains a major symbol of bilateral cooperation
and U.S. commitment to the region and the fight against
terrorism.
¶4. (C) Mumbling into his notes (which he received only after
the meeting began), Foreign Minister Alikbek Jekshenkulov, in
a separate meeting, stated that the "presence of a U.S. air
base was a mandatory condition for maintaining security" in
Kyrgyzstan. He noted that Kyrgyzstan's desire to renegotiate
the base's terms was only due to economic needs and asked
that the negotiation process be accelerated.
CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM: WE'RE MOVING FORWARD
-------------------------------------------
¶5. (C) President Bakiyev said that criticism of the slow
pace of constitutional reform was misguided. He described
progress to date and said the task at hand now was to
determine the form of government and then move forward with
changes to the constitution. He claimed that parliamentary
critics seeking quick changes did not understand the
differences between the forms of government. He expressed
hope that an educational campaign being carried out on
BISHKEK 00000502 002 OF 004
several levels would allow the people to truly understand the
different forms of government and make an informed choice in
the fall. A/S Boucher offered U.S. assistance in helping to
get the message out, as well. Bakiyev defended the timing of
the referendum on the form of government, saying that the
agricultural season will be over by then and more citizens
would be able to participate. He noted that a working group
has already started drafting a new constitution. Bakiyev
hoped that the new constitution would be like the United
States,, and not need further amendments for another 20-30
years. A/S Boucher listened politely, and then pressed again
on the need for constitutional reform, reiterating that
whatever system the Kyrgyz adopt should have strong checks
and balances.
¶6. (C) In his 45-minute meeting with A/S Boucher, Prime
Minister Kulov noted how his views differed from those of
President Bakiyev regarding which future form of democratic
government Kyrgyzstan should adopt. While stating that both
he and the President support a system of checks and balances
that ensures no return to authoritarianism, Kulov pointed
out, "I have made proposals that would bring our views
closer." Kulov likewise said that both leaders understood
the impatience of Kyrgyzstan's civil society for political
reform, and stressed that for him, this only emphasized the
importance of completing constitutional reform this year.
Kulov also asked for U.S. assistance on judicial reform and
educating the parliament on how other legislatures around the
world work, perhaps by sending Kyrgyz parliamentarians to
other, more developed democracies. During dinner
parliamentarians themselves said that they welcome U.S.
assistance on technical issues surrounding constitutional
reform as well as American encouragement to the Kyrgyz
Administration to move the process forward.
BAKIYEV: "THE PARLIAMENT IS ALREADY FULL OF CRIMINALS"
--------------------------------------------- ---------
¶7. (C) In all three of his bilateral meetings, A/S Boucher
expressed concern over the recent election to parliament of
organized crime figure Ryspek Akmatbayev. A/S Boucher noted
that there is concern outside of Kyrgyzstan that the prospect
of a criminal entering parliament indicated that progress
from last spring was losing momentum. While the U.S. will
continue its assistance programs, there will be long-term
consequences to the image of Kyrgyzstan that will hurt
investment and other international activities.
¶8. (C) President Bakiyev responded by stating that there are
many current deputies who should be in jail, so Ryspek
Akmatbayev would not be a unique case. He then claimed that
it wasn't right to label (the twice convicted) Akmatbayev a
criminal, because "only the courts can determine if someone
is a criminal." He also argued that the case against
Akmatbayev was not very strong, recalling that
then-Procurator General Azimbek Beknazarov told him that
Ryspek was probably only guilty of 50 percent of the accused
crimes because the police attributed many unresolved crimes
to him while he was wanted. (Note: Given his long rap
sheet, this still makes Ryspek a very dangerous criminal.
End Note.) Bakiyev stated that only the courts can make the
final decision on Akmatbayev's candidacy and that he believed
there were still honest, uncorrupted courts here. A/S
Boucher responded that executive branch also has a
responsibility to ensure that the constitution and laws of
Kyrgyzstan are upheld, and that Akmatbayev was the first
criminal to take a seat in parliament after the March events.
&People need to stand up on the right side of this issue,8
A/S Boucher stated. The court decisions, he noted, raise
questions about the independence of the courts.
¶9. (C) During his meeting, Prime Minister Kulov expressed no
such confidence in the judicial system, and said that an
overhaul of the criminal justice system was sorely needed.
In a reference to mobster Ryspek Akmatbayev, Kulov expressed
BISHKEK 00000502 003 OF 004
muted dissatisfaction with Bakiyev's leadership, saying,
"Today, with the aid and support of the courts
. . . criminals are achieving their goals." He added that it
was the Parliament, "under the President," that should have
the authority to maintain judicial transparency. Kulov also
admitted that over the past year, criminal elements had
indeed gained influence in the political process and over
certain politicians.
¶10. (C) Foreign Minister Jekshenkulov indicated that Kyrgyz
diplomats were also concerned about the recent election to
parliament of Akmatbayev, though he avoided citing Akmatbayev
by name. He said that "criminal elements" in the country
were powerful and that the Kyrgyz government was not in a
position to use "strong measures" against them. Opposition
parliamentarians also told A/S Boucher that Akmatbayev is not
the only crime and corruption problem in the Bakiyev
Government. They pointed to the increasing control of
members of the Bakiyev family in the government and business
sectors.
MCA: WE'LL GET IT DONE
----------------------
¶11. (C) Foreign Minister Jekshenkulov thanked the U.S. for
selecting Kyrgyzstan for the Millennium Challenge Account
(MCA) Threshold Program and expressed hope that his country
would eventually qualify for full MCA assistance. He
described the details of their recently accepted concept
paper, which focused on reforms of the judiciary, Procuracy
and Ministry of Interior police force. He noted that a
special working group had been formed and was presently
working on drafting a full proposal for MCA Threshold Program
Assistance that is due on May 15.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, TRADE
---------------------------
¶12. (C) Bakiyev urged the U.S. and other donors to focus
assistance on speeding up Kyrgyzstan's economic development.
He argued that creating jobs and new businesses would do more
than anything else to combat extremism and narcotics
trafficking.
¶13. (C) Minister Jekshenkulov expressed interest in the
Trade and Development Agency (TDA) sponsored regional energy
conference planned for June in Istanbul. He asked that
additional information on the conference be sent to him. He
also agreed with the importance of developing regional
cooperation and trade, and noted that the Kyrgyz were ready
to participate in the rebuilding of Afghanistan by selling
the country building materials.
CIVIL SOCIETY FRUSTRATED AT LACK OF PROGRESS
--------------------------------------------
¶14. (C) During their one-hour meeting with A/S Boucher, four
representatives of civil society expressed deep concern and
frustration over the lack of democratic reform since last
year's "Tulip Revolution." They said that President Bakiyev
had failed to live up to his campaign promise to pursue
constitutional reform. Participants also expressed concern
over the increased visibility and role of organized crime in
government. Coalition for Democracy and Civil Society
President Edil Baisalov vowed to organize demonstrations and
protests around the country to pressure the government to
move forward on reform (NOTE: On April 8, the Coalition was a
primary organizer of a 2000-person march in Bishkek against
organized crime. On April 12 Baisalov was attacked,
presumably because of his activities. See Reftel. END NOTE)
¶15. (C) Elnura Osmonalieva, head of the national Student
Union, said many young Kyrgyz are losing hope in the future
and are leaving the country. She said that the April 9
election of mob boss Ryspek Akmatbayev to parliament "killed
BISHKEK 00000502 004 OF 004
the hopes of many young people" and had severely damaged
people's confidence in President Bakiyev. She added that
Bakiyev continues to enjoy strong support in the south, but
only because he is a fellow southerner and not because he had
accomplished anything of note.
¶16. (C) In response to a question from A/S Boucher about
what the U.S. can do to help, participants urged the U.S. to
put more pressure on President Bakiyev to "live up to his
campaign promises." In a separate meeting with
Parliamentarians, opposition leader Karabekov told A/S
Boucher that given the performance of the Bakiyev Government
he was embarrassed over his participation in the March 24
revolution. He said that he has publicly apologized to his
electorate.
GUATEMALA/VENEZUELA CANDIDACY FOR THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL
--------------------------------------------- ------------
¶17. (C) A/S Boucher pushed Foreign Minister Jekshenkulov to
support Guatemala's candidacy for the UN Security Council.
Jekshenkulov replied that Kyrgyzstan had made a decision to
support Guatemala.
¶18. (U) This message was cleared by the SCA Front Office.
YOVANOVITCH